Horse Games by Bonnie Bryant Read Free Book Online Page A

flat. You don’t want a horse to mistake a finger for a tasty bit of carrot.”
    Marie followed Carole’s instructions. Nickel glanced at the offered hand and sniffed. Then, he picked up the carrot with his soft lips and munched. The smile on Marie’s face told Carole everything she needed to know. She might have been part of a miserable loss in polocrosse that day, but everybody was going to win this tougher—and much more important—challenge.
    “Ready?” Carole asked. Marie nodded. Together, with the help of Lisa and the guidance of Mrs. Dana, they got Marie into Nickel’s saddle. It took a while to adjust the stirrups to a level that was comfortable, but Carole was patient and Marie was willing to have the fuss made. Carole sensed that Marie was just plain enjoying being on horseback and that’s what this was really all about.
    Then, as they were about to begin the tour, Carole saw her father and heard him call her. The tone in his voice wasn’t happy. As soon as he spotted her, her marched toward her in his most military Marine Corps stride.
    “Can you explain why it is I just saw your horse in his stall with all his tack on fully fifteen minutes after the end of the game?” he demanded.
    Colonel Hanson was one of the Horse Wise parent volunteers. He took the job seriously and he was willing to help the riders learn—even when it meant speaking sharply to his daughter. There was a reason she’d left Starlight tacked up and Carole was about to explain it to her father. First, though, she introduced him to Marie. As she introduced him to Mrs. Dana, Carole remembered how interested he’d been to learn about the woman when they were at the hospital.
    Carole then explained about showing Marie around, and that the tour included an untacking demonstration at Starlight’s stall.
    “Okay, okay,” Colonel Hanson said. “Go on ahead. I’llshow Mrs. Dana some things, too.” He offered Marie’s mother his arm gallantly. She took it.
    “Please, call me Olivia.”
    “And I’m Mitch,” he said. Off they went.
    Carole, Lisa, and Marie headed for the stable. Their first stop was Starlight’s stall.
    “It’s not that leaving his tack on is harmful so much as it’s not really fair,” Carole explained as she removed the saddle. “I had loosened the girth so he wasn’t uncomfortable. Still, his work is over and he deserves a real rest.”
    “Do you have to do all this work just because you own the horse?” Marie asked.
    Carole and Lisa laughed.
    “No,” Lisa answered. “All riders at Pine Hollow have to take care of the horses they use,” she explained. “There are two main reasons. First of all, if the riders pitch in, Max doesn’t have to hire so many stablehands and he can keep the costs down. A lot of us couldn’t take lessons or belong to Horse Wise if our parents had to pay any more than they do.”
    “The other reason,” Carole continued for Lisa, “is that Max believes horseback riding doesn’t begin when you climb in the saddle and finish when you dismount. Horseback riding is really horse care and stable management, too. As far as he’s concerned, you aren’t learning to ride a horse if all you’re ever doing is riding. You need to understand much more about the horse than that.
    And the more you know about your horse when you’re out of the saddle, the better off you’ll both be when you’re in it. See?”
    “I do see,” Marie said. “And you really like to do all this stuff?” she asked, watching as Carole cleaned out some accumulated manure.
    “Well …” Carole relented. “There are some things I like to do better than others!”
    “Don’t worry,” Lisa said. “That stuff doesn’t take much time. The thing that I keep in mind is that it’s all about horses. Come on, while Carole finishes up. All she has left to do now is get fresh water and hay for Starlight. I’ll introduce you to some of our other horses.”
    Lisa took the lead rope and walked Nickel slowly